....as
Chris & Denise succumb to the trend of putting a small 'i' in front of just
about anything

in a desperate attempt to try to make it sound trendy......

As we left the Dodges
at the end of 2006, Chris, having just passed his Class 1 HGV test, was waiting on the results of an interview with
Network Rail, Denise had more-or-less recovered from her broken leg, and had
handed in her notice at Lucas's, and Bonzo was getting to grips with being an
'only dog'. Now read on...

First things first. Bonzo
just LOVES being the only dog, revelling in the titbits, cuddles and general
spoiling that are the inevitable perks of the job. To many peoples' surprise,
there have been no serious discussions whatsoever about further additions to the
canine establishment, though there have been discussions about her weight
! She needed a trip to her new vet's in mid-December as she was mugged by
a Staffy (eventually hanging by her throat from the other dog's tooth !) but
happily she got away with a single puncture wound and some bruises - it could
have been much worse !

Morris, who has just turned 11 (yes, really !) has now retired. School visits do
not form part of Denise's JD these days, and in any event he has acquired a bit
of a reputation for biting ! Three years ago he was involved in a near-fatal
road accident, and it sad to relate that he seems to have been slightly 'damaged
goods' ever since. Still, better an occasionally-stroppy-for-no-discernable-reason
cat than no cat at all.

And Austin....is just Austin. That said he much more visible around the
house, and enjoys playing with the other animals when they'll let him. The
humans still can't get anywhere near him though......

What then of the humans ?
Denise moved to 'Nature Vets' in Bath at the end of January. The problem there
was there was very little to actually do, with very little client
contact. Time to move on....to Bath Vet Group. Not far away from Nature Vets,
and with much more client contact, but a change in working hours from permanent
11am - 6pm to earlier starts and finishes, which in turn meant doing battle with
horrendous traffic. The journey of around 10 miles was taking anything up
to an hour. And however good the job, the commuting was never going to go away.
Time to move on again....to Fernlea. Or rather back to Fernlea, as this was the
surgery where Denise worked before her move to Lucas's in 1989, back in the days
when it was 'Hoare & Harper'. Initially she's covering three lots of maternity
leave, so technically she's only contracted up until next June, though we have
high hopes that she will be kept on as she is really enjoying the job.

That means that for a couple of weeks Denise & Chris were both, technically at
least, on temporary contracts as maternity cover. Yes, Chris did get a job at
Network Rail, but having come fourth out of the four successful applicants,
became 'maternity cover' until appointed to a permanent post in December. The
job is best described as 'working out which cock-ups are responsible for which
delays to which trains', and with most of Wales to cover, there's usually plenty
to keep him busy.

The job is, of course, based
in the centre of Cardiff, the cultural capital of Wales ! Being at the
heart of such a vibrant city, particularly during evenings and weekends, means
that those gazing out of the windows of St David's House can bear witness to
sex, violence, drugs and rock and roll, frequently all in the same evening.
A recent evening was livened up considerably by none other than Dr Who and the
Tardis materialising in the street that runs along the back of the building !
The sight of Catherine Tate needing at least four takes to squawk "That's my car
!, that's my destiny !" to the director's eventual satisfaction will live long
in the memory !

Enough waffle - Chris's PC currently carries a screensaver with all the best pix
from 2007, so to finish off, let some of them tell their own story......

At Ilfracombe, on New Year's
Day

Inbound to Tenerife in
January, with the peak of Mount Teide sticking up above the clouds